A-level pass rates have risen for the 22nd consecutive year - amid the annual chorus of criticism that the exam has been dumbed down.
Results out today will see boys close the gap on girls as well as further falls in entries to some "hard" subjects including physics, French and German.
There was another rise in popularity of subjects that are often dismissed as "soft" including media, film and TV studies, sociology and psychology.
Nationally the A-E grade pass rate rose 0.6pc to 96pc, while the proportion of entries getting A grades climbed 0.8pc to stand at 22.4pc. The pass rate among students in Newcastle is just below the national average, with 94pc getting grades A-E. Pupils at Kenton School notched up a 98.7 per cent, while St Cuthbert's Catholic High School scored the highest number of A-B grade passes in Newcastle, with 43 per cent of results hitting the top two grades.
School Standards Minister and South Shields MP David Miliband said: "These results show there is an education revolution underway that is opening up opportunities for more young people than ever."
But Bill McGawley, North-East chairman of the Institute of Directors, said: "With an ever-growing number of A grade passes being awarded, the brightest students are not shining through."
Northumberland
